is the assad regime behind chlorine gas attacks in syria? the u.n. takes a step closer to finding out. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. isil fighters accused of kidnapping more than 250 civilians in syria, including women and children. questions over security in afghanistan as massive car bomb kills 14 and leaves hundreds injured. and a summer camp in norway reopens four years after a gunman killed 69 young people there. ♪

hello, the u.n. security council has unanimously voted to set up a panel to investigate chemical weapon attacks in syria. the west has repeatedly blamed gas attacks on the government. friday's resolution establishes a team of experts tasked with identifying who is responsible and paves the way for possible sanctions. >> translator: syria has upheld its commitments and adherence to the chemical weapons convention as well as resolution 2118 of 2013. [ inaudible ] cooperated in all ways and dealt with this issue. all of this in spite of the terrible challenges of an treejsly challenging and complex security situation, even a provocative one. this is a result of the

positions of enemy of certain regional and international parties. >> let's go to gabriel at the united nations. there are some strong work work -- words there. >> reporter: absolutely but this was a unanimous vote by all 15 membersover the security council on the resolution. it is a significant resolution because it is going to be the first time that a u.n. body tries to pin blame on who was responsible for those chemical attacks. the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons has already determined that most likely chemical weapons were used in this syria. that's widely now believed. but the big question was that body was not tasked with a mandate to assign blame. and that has been one of the key points of contention over the last year or so and that's why

this -- the u.s.-lead resolution was trying to push this forward to set up this body to point the finger of blame at who was responsible. russia has viewed with scepticism u.s. claims that bashar al-assad was responsible in some way, so now this will go to this investigative body set up by the u.n. to figure this out. a very very significant development. let's listen to what samantha power, the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. had to say about it. >> pointing the finger matters. imagine for a moment if we asked an investigative team to determine whether certain atrocities occurred such as rapes, tortures or executions but did not ask that team to determine who was involved. as we all know that determination ties the perpetrator to the action. and that is essential to eventual accountability in helping prevent future abuses

from occurring. >> now, again, it's important to note that the syrian ambassador was invited to speak, and he did, he again reaffirmed that the syrian government was not responsible in his words for the -- the chemical weapons attacks. now let's talk briefly about the time line here of when this is all going to happen. it will now go to secretary general bank -- ban ki-moon, and he will set up a panel, and they will have 90 days to submit their first findings. it could take much longer than that but they will be tasked to report back in 90 days. so we're still months away from getting any sort of idea of who

this u.n. body will point the finger to. >> what happens once blame is assigned? >> yeah that's a key point here and it's a little mirky on what will happen. but a lot of people are talking about sanctions, that this could lead to sanctions against any person organization body or group that was responsible. however, it's very important to note that in this resolution it's not guaranteed that sanctions will be placed against those that are the perpetrators. it would then have to go back to the u.n. security council again for another discussion another vote on -- on -- on -- if sanctions would be the next step or not. and in the past we have seen syrias key ally russia in the past veto or block any efforts to pin any sort of blame on the syrian government. also it should have pointed out that this could be used if anything is sent to the

international criminal court in the future but, again, russia has blocked previous u.n. security council resolution that would have sent this matter to the icc, so that is a -- so far, at least right now, a dead-send road, but sanctions would be the key potential potential -- potential -- potential issue that could come up once blame is assigned. >> thank you very much indeed. fighting between rebel factions isil and the assad government is continuing inside syria, leaving the country increasingly unstable. isil fighters are reported to have kidnapped 230 people after seizing a town in homs province. many captured were christians. pressure is building on bashar al-assad. saturday marks one year since the start of the u.s.-lead

coalition of air strikes in iraq and syria. critics say it hasn't done enough to stop isil. the u.s. military has defended its decision to recruit and train fighters in syria, even after the program suffered a major setback. al jazeera's kimberly halkett explains. >> reporter: syrian fighters trained by the united states now refusing to fight. this video released on social media appears to show some of the fighters in captivity after an attack last week north of aleppo. five of the u.s.-backed recruits have been detained by al-qaeda's affiliate, the al-nusra forces. the white house is under scrutiny for the apparent failure of the operation. >> would you say that the white house is disappointed? that the president is disappointed with the mission. >> we have been pretty forthright about the significant challenges that that operation has faced.

but it has not, um significantly encumbered the other aspects of our strategy. >> reporter: the fighters known as division 30 accuse the pentagon of misrepresenting its mission. the u.s.-backed group says it signed up to battle isil not al-nusra, and it is opposed to u.s. air strikes carried out in recent days. >> we acknowledge that there are challenges, but the idea that we were caught totally flat footed by the idea that we were sending people into a very dynamic and rapidly changing war zone is not accurate. >> reporter: still the united states spent money and months training the fighters supplying them with koft -- soft us indicated equipment.

kimberly halkett al jazeera, washington. ♪ temperatures sore across iraq public discontent is also close to boiling point. there are several protests planned across the country in the coming hours as anger mounts against the government. they are gathering in baghdad's square for more demonstrations. unrest has been growing in the past week. security has been stepped up to control the crowds who are angry over a wide range of issues including lack of basic services like water and electricity. a powerful truck bomb has killed at least 15 and injured hundreds others in kabul. it's the fourth attack in afghanistan in the last two days. >> reporter: the explosion was so big it could be heard all around the afghan capitol. windows shattered and buildings collapsed.

this man was at home in bed when the truck exploded across the street. >> translator: most were injured with flying glass. there was glass everywhere. everything was full of dust and smoke. they put me in a car and brought me here. it was a very bad explosion. >> reporter: he said the blast didn't differentiate between rich and poor. a target may have been a military compound the dead and injured were mainly civilians. hospitals were inundated. >> i'm here quite long time and i have never seen something like that. it was non-stopping of people coming and coming and coming. we were afraid at a certain point we could not manage more. >> reporter: the united nations says civilian casualties are at a record high with nearly 5,000 afghans killed in the first six months of this year. for security forces the losses

are even higher with 11,000 dead or injured in the first half of 2015. taliban peace talks were derailed last week after the taliban announced the death of its leader. taliban commanders are now divided over who should succeed him and whether peace talks can resume. the afghan president has called it one of the worst attacks ever against civilians. there have been arrests in ticketly over wednesday's boat disaster which is feared to have killed more than 200 people. >> reporter: on friday police said they arrested five members of a fishing else have believed to have been caring more than 500 migrants that capsized off of the coast of italy. according to survivors the crew members who are also believed to be the smugglers locked more

than 200 migrants inside the boat's hull. if that's true that would have prevented them from escaping when the boat capsized. now the five crew members who smugglers will face charges of human trafficking and manslaughter. in the meantime the search for more survivors continues. because of good weather conditions there is a chance someone could still be alive after 48 hours, since the accident even though it is quite unlikely and they say they are realistic about the chances of finding somebody alive at this point. the more than 300 migrants that were taken here on thursday are being distributed to reception centers in italy, while the relatives and friends of those who have drowned are getting psychological assistance. greece says it must take

control of what it calls total chaos of migrants. the underrefugee agency says the situation is totally shameful and has urged other e.u. nations to share the burden. many new arrivals have been trying to escape the conflict in syria. the u.n. is also pressing for ur ent -- urgent action in calais. an estimated 3,000 migrants have set up camp close to the boarder. >> we believe that security measures alone, though are understandable to a certain degree are unlikely to be effective by themselves and they will likely push people to take even greater risks, and greater risks that could result in more of the tragic deaths that we have been seeing of people desperately trying to

cross the channel. >> still to come trouble ahead for taiwan as it prepares to face its strongest typhoon in three years. saving germany's bees. we'll have more on the government's green mission to keep the insect population buzzing. >> i'm gonna lose anything left that i have of the mexican culture. >> fighting for their future. >> it is imperative that i get into college. it's my last chance to get out of here. >> the incredible journey continues.

♪ hello again a remicceder of the top stories here on al jazeera. the u.n. security council is to set up an inquiry into chemical weapons attacks in syria. it is being called the worse-ever attack against civilians in afghanistan. a powerful truck bomb killed at

least 15 people and injured more than 240 others. five people have been killed in clashes in eastern tush i can. three people died in a four-hour gun fight between turkish police and kurdish fighters. elsewhere fighters killed two soldiers in two other provinces. two people have been killed in clashes between police and kurdish fighters in southeastern turkey. ten others were wounded. bernard smith reports from one of the town at the stern -- center of the renewed fighting. >> reporter: evening is usually the busiest time of the day here. the streets would fill with shoppers, the cafes come alive with gossip. but this kurdish town is in the middle of a new outbreak of fighting between turkish security forces and the pkk.

the major, from the pro-kurdish people's democratic party fears a return to the early 1990s, when the military launched a major crack downhere and iraq. >> translator: it is like a ghost town. people would be out until midnight but now the shops have started closing early. people are anxious about what is happening. they dare not go out. there isn't a soul around at night. >> reporter: on some nights the security forces battle the pkk affiliated youth groups. young men and women who might once have gone to the mountains as pkk fighters. turkish security forces are burning pkk positions in forests. it's part of what the turkish government says a brood offense against all threatses to it security, thank colludes isil and the pkk. dotted across the townes you can see areas where smoke is rising

that's where there has been fighting between the turkish military and the pkk, a spokesman for turkish president says that these renewed assaults on the pkk are in self-defense. he says despite promises made in the peace process, the pkk has failed to disarm. the major told us that knock on almost any door here and you'll find someone contacted to the pkk, a group listed as a terrorist organization in the u.s. and europe as well as turkey. this man has one son in jail and a second in the mountains. >> translator: it's better not to fight. look even the pkk sometimes say it's better to make politics. they want to find a solution with a pen, not by using guns but if you keep killing i also have to show my fists. >> reporter: attacks blamed on the pkk have killed at least 16

security forces. the increase in violence is raising fears of a return to a conflict that killed 30,000 people over 30 years. at least four people have been taken hostage in moll moll -- mali at a hotel. there have been earlier reports of ongoing clashes between fighters and the malian army. a secularist bangladeshi blogger has been killed by a group of attackers armed with machetes. he was an outspoken critic of armed groups that use religion as a cause for carrying out attacks at mosques.

bad weather is expected to hit thailand. it is expected to make landfall in the early hours of saturday. flights have been canceled and schools have been closed as people batten down the hatches. >> reporter: this is a city under red alert in the remaining hours before the typhoon makes landfall. this market is busy with people stocking up before it hits. they are saying that the prices for vegetables particularly green ones have risen considerably and that they are not satisfied with the level of preparations. >> translator: everyone is watching the government's work. they should do their best this time. >> translator: people are rushing to buy food but prices have gone up. i don't want to buy too much. >> reporter: forecasters are saying this could be the strongest storm to make landfall

here in three years. it is going to be packed withes of as strong as 220 kilometers an hour according to the weather experts, and the risk on the eastern coast where it is expected to make landfall is landslides and flash floods and nobody knows if and where that will happen. it was norway's worst-ever attack. now they have gathered together in the place where so many lives were lost. >> reporter: this girl survived the attack on the island four summers ago. >> was convinced they was going to die. so i just sat by the water and was waiting for him to come back to shoot me again or just die because of blood loss.

♪ >> reporter: now she and a record number of labor party youth are back as the camp reopens. it's an overcast day, not unlike the friday when the man strolled through in police uniform, firing automatic weapons, his killing spree claimed 69 young lives. earlier a car bomb out of the government building in oslo killed eight people. both attacks were aimed at tearing apartnerway's multi-culture ram democracy. >> it was very good to come back and the feeling that i had before hasn't changed. >> reporter: you still want to be in the future perhaps a politician with the labor party in this country, why? >> because we're -- all of our values, what we do what we believe in. so it's important to have something to fight for. >> reporter: four years on it has come alive again.

norway's young political aspirants enjoying something of the sunshine to debate the issues of the day, and perhaps even romantic trysts in the forest over there just as it used to be. except that this is now in part a living memorial to the dead. but many insist norway is not a country looking back. this man speaks to me from the edder to offices of vg newspaper in oslo. >> some terror attacks change the country like 9/11, but this terror attack has been absolutely meaningless. it hasn't really changed anything in norway. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: at the camp they are once again celebrating norway's multi-cultural heritage. perhaps the ultimate rebuttal of the about is this the new youth leader here a young norwegian

born in syria. france has started a new air and sea search for more debris from missing malaysian airlines flight mh370. it comes after the discovery of a plane wing part that washed ashore last week. chinese relatives of missing passengers have marched to the embassy in beijing. they want to know why beijing confirmed that the part came from the flight while french investigator had not. >> reporter: the day began with a protest outside of an anonymous building where they were due to be given a briefing. the families had demanded that the media be allowed in to watch proceedings. officials said no so then the families decided to take their

protests to the malaysian embassy in downtown beijing. and that's where they refrain. the police have allowed them to protest outside as they have done on many other occasions. the reason for that is dhemz stations are not directed against the government here in china. they are aimed squarely at malaysian airlines and also the malaysian government. what is fuelling their anger at the moment is this it is the mixed messages emerging from the inquiry. on thursday malaysia's prime minister said that the wing part found on reunion island was conclusive evidence that it came from mh370. but french prosecutors within a day were saying well they weren't so sure about that. their judgment was not so categorical. and the families are saying that in their mind is proof once more of an attempt by the airline of a cover up. they have accused the airline of

lying really from day one, and simply do not believe a word they are being told by malaysian airlines. there is simply a break down in trust, and because of that they are really hostage to all of the various theories swirling on the internet. an e.u. ban on pesticides expected to be linked to the death of honey bees is due to expire this year. >> reporter: eric works on his farm in western germany. the summer months are an important time for him. soon he will have to sew seed in these fields. if he could, he would prefer to use powerful pesticides contain to protect the growing crops. but in cent years a ban has been

inteer do you seed on certain types of pesticide, and others have been xoom mined closely in long-term studies. meaning eric must do without them. >> translator: this is the best option so you only put the pesticide where you really need it. we sew the seeds at the end of august, it sprouts and is from the beginning protected against pests. >> reporter: german farmers talk about using the pesticide as the perfect way to get the product into the seedling to protect the plant and deal with the pests. but some scientific studies suggest the effect it has on the bees is devastating. >> translator: the bees forget where they come from or where they have to go. they have to ensure they are able to return to their population. they unlearn that under certain circumstances. so we see changes of behavior that you see when there are small doses, and if it's do much

they die. >> reporter: the chemical firm has manufactured pesticide fungicides for many years. it denies that the product is causing the declining bee populations. it believes it may be caused by a mixture of factors. >> some findings which were made on individual bees or in the laboratory under artificial conditions have suggested some kind of [ inaudible ] effect. however, these kind of effects were never found under realistic conditions to effect whole bee colonies in the field. >> reporter: some scientists suggest the honeyby's pollinating effect is worth more than 12 million euros every

year. which explains why a long term decline in the bee population could have a devastating effect. plenty more for you any time on our website. the address for that is aljazeera.com. and you can watch us by clicking on the watch-now icon. ♪ after the first presidential debate donald trump maintains his position out in front of the pack. president obama's job of selling the iran deal just got harder with the loss of a key supporter in the senate. and ferguson missouri a community that boiled over last summer takes inventory of how much progress has truly been made one year later. ♪